Nikon D3200 or Nikon 1 J1?

Question

Nikon D3200 or Nikon 1 J1?

Answer 1

If compact size is paramount, then go with the J1. If you want the best cameras - especially if you buy a few good lenses and see yourself upgrading the camera in the future, then do with a DSLR.



I have a Nikon D7100 and a Nikon V1. The D7100 is for serious shooting, but the V1 is just a fun camera. I use it just because it is fun.



The V1 (as well as the J1) does have manual exposure controls - they are just buried in the menu system. Many people complained about that - at least for the "high-end" V1, so in the V2, Nikon added dedicated manual controls.



I bought the Nikon lens adapter for it, and have used even a 85mm f/1.8 lens on the V1. That gives you an equivalent to a 227mm DSLR lens... at f/1.8. Talk about a sports lens! I took it to a night baseball game a couple of days ago, and the ability to use a low ISO even with a smaller sensor, resulted in some incredible photos that I never thought possible.



But realize that the Nikon 1 series is way overpriced if you are buying at MSRP. I bought my V1 for $300 last Dec (which was a $599 discount), sort of a no-brainer. I see refurbished J1s for around $200, and if I were to buy one, that is what I would buy. And for $200, you will never find a compact camera to even come close.



For $200 the J1 is a no brainer, for $600, not so much.



So really, it comes down to the convenience of a small size vs. the quality of a DSLR. However, when you start buying lenses for it, you can spend more money - a lot more money than a DSLR.



Still, Nikon is trying to achieve something quite unique with these cameras. They just released a 32mm f/1.2 for the Nikon 1. Kind of expensive (er, way expensive), but imagine - a f/1.2 lens. 32mm on the Nikon 1 is equivalent to an 85mm lens in the 35mm format.



At least I like Nikon's forward thinking about such a lens - but why they did not make a 85mm f/1.2 DSLR lens first is strange to me as professional photographers would likely buy that lens. Not sure who would buy an $800 "portrait" lens for the Nikon 1 system.

Answer 2

Ignore the old man that lives in a cave. There were lots of people like him 10-12 years ago that claimed digital was no good, and they would stay with film to the end. And now they ALL own digital cameras.



ILC or EVIL or mirrorless cameras, whatever name they go by, well they have their place. There are some that have better image and video quality than dSLRs, and their compact size is a huge advantage only if you stick to a pancake prime or small zoom. If you get a huge zoom lens, then owning a small camera is kind of pointless.



The best image sensors for the money are found in Sony's NEX line. But Fuji is making big gains with their latest camera that brings their entry level price down to around 799 with lens. The Nikon J1, J2 and S1 are great cameras with very good image quality, they lack a few things so take note.



They lack the controls and some abilities that dSLRs have. They are set up to be "auto mode" shooters. The smaller image sensor still destroys any small sensor compact, but still isn't dSLR quality, also you can't defocus backgrounds as strongly as is possible with APS-C and full frame image sensors.



The Nikon 1 series is good for having fun, lots of filters, decent video, and being compact means it's more likely to be with you. Pair it with one of their tiny prime lenses, and it's a great walk around lens, especially at night.



The Nikon D3200 is bulky, and brings nothing new to the table. It's just another entry level dSLR, and Nikon added a lot of megapixels that nobody was asking for. Regardless, owning a dSLR is a commitment, there are millions of dSLRs in the USA and around the world collecting dust at home, or in the trunk of a car because people are tired of carrying them, the extra lenses, the bag, it's just too much sometimes.



I only carry my dSLR now if I'm getting paid. I now carry my Fuji X100 with me most of the time. Consider that before you go for a dSLR. Ignore old stuck in their ways photographers telling you that a camera isn't real because it does not have some feature they decide you need.



What the old guy won't tell you is that a cheap 499 US dollar Sony NEX 3N has an image sensor better than any Canon dSLR with the same size sensor. That means better than any Canon Rebel, the 60D, even the pro level 7D. That's a fact, notice he didn't tell you that. Use your common sense and decide.

Answer 3

Are you familiar with EVIL cameras? That's what the 1j1 is, an EVIL camera (electronic viewfinder interchangeable lenses).



Actually an EVIL camera is nothing more than a way over priced, over rated point and shoot that doesn't even have a view finder - at least not like a dslr has a view finder.



I would go with the dslr in any case over an EVIL.

Answer 4

... There are things to love about the Nikon 1 series and sadly also things to dislike. The problem is that is not a cheap system. The lenses for the 1 are not cheap, the camera itself is decently priced..we're not some issues See the sensor is rather small for that price. Look what people don't want a DSLR but want something with controls and interchangable lenses that is what they want.. the Nikon 1 fails here. The Nikon 1 targets soccermoms, it lacks the controls the pro's seek. Sure it is a fast shooter with pretty decent image quality and...sadly overpriced lenses.. but it isn't something a person who likes to have control wants to use. The issue is control it simply doesn't offers the needed controls. And that is a huge problem.. most cameras CSC/EVIL's are made for the DSLR owner that wants a decent second camera. Some EVIL's are even good enough for people to replace the idea of a DSLR outfit. But the Nikon 1 isn't one of them. Nikon 1 tries to simplify things.. make it easy..for the soccermom. I am not a soccermom! But if you want a decent camera system in that price range.. thing Panasonic GF3 with a decent pancake lens. Very capable camera system MFT"s. You also can buy the Sony NEX, bigger sensor sadly also bigger lenses but .. it is very good at what it does. There is the Fuji X Pro ..a bit expensive so.. very good though Now I suggest that Panasonic GF3, you get quite good results and all the basic controls you need. It is system able to make some lovely pictures. It has a sensor big enough to mean something and it has very nice image quality. Also look at the Samsung NX series, again Micro Fourth Third. You can buy extra lenses for that system and it has some very good results.

Answer 5

I have a D3200, and it works WONDERS.

it's amazing. it takes great pictures, and even thought its not the best carry-around camera, it's not as heavy as others.

I would go with the Nikon D3200.

hope this helps!

Answer 6

I'm with Jim A.



A DSLR with optical viewfinder, wider range of lenses and an APS-C sensor or an EVIL model with screen, a sensor the size of your pinkie-nail, and a range of around six lenses - that's hardly a choice.

Answer 7

I would prefer you to go for Nikon D3200 due to its superb features and its looks. The portability is not much issue, this is considered as a portable camera too. but obviously in comparison J1 is much portable.

If you are investing, invest in a good thing which will ultimately makes you happy and satisfied.



You can have a detailed information from the below link and can read a professional photographer review regarding D3200 as well:



http://www.amazon.com/review/R43G4IBQEIWDQ/ref=cm_cr_pr_perm?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B007VGGFZU&linkCode=&nodeID=&tag=tawevaw-20





Just a brief comparison of both cameras:

D3200 has more than 40% better image quality

It has a 24.2 MP DX-format CMOS sensor in order to attain high quality images. Feature of EXPEED III Image Processing so that images can be taken fast.

This is a good model for o more professional photography

An external flash often produces better looking flash images

3.5x less delay when turning on

It is user friendly and there are lot of features in the cam which facilitates the best quality images

You will definitely enjoy its features so invest in a good thing i would recommend you